Contents

Description

The 1997 Pinnacle X-Press set was issued in one series totaling 150 cards and is probably best remembered for its unique packaging.

X-Press was available in the standard 24-pack waxbox, but it also came in special home plate-shaped plastic boxes. Each Hobby-exclusive "Home Plate Box" contained one standard eight-card wax pack, an eight-card "master deck" (exclusive to the Home Plate boxes), and one of 20 Bronze Metal Works ingots.

Parallels

Men of Summer

Men of Summer is the sole parallel in X-Press. The fronts of each card are printed on foil-board, while the letters "MEN OF SUMMER" are printed on the back.

Inserts

Far & Away

Far & Away is an 18-card set featuring all the usual top long-ball hitting suspects. The cards are printed on etched-foil.

1 Albert Belle

2 Mark McGwire

3 Frank Thomas

4 Mo Vaughn

5 Jeff Bagwell

6 Juan Gonzalez

7 Mike Piazza

8 Andruw Jones

9 Chipper Jones

10 Gary Sheffield

11 Sammy Sosa

12 Darin Erstad

13 Jay Buhner

14 Ken Griffey, Jr.

15 Ken Caminiti

16 Brady Anderson

17 Manny Ramirez

18 Alex Rodriguez

Melting Pot

This 20-card set tracks the players' national origin on foil board with heliogram raised ink printing. Each card is serial-numbered to 500 copies. Samples of each Melting Pot card were sent out to dealers to promote the product. The word "SAMPLE" is printed in large black ink on both the front and the back. In addition, all the cards are serial-numbered "000/500."

1 Jose Guillen

2 Vladimir Guerrero

3 Andruw Jones

4 Larry Walker

5 Manny Ramirez

6 Ken Griffey, Jr.

7 Alex Rodriguez

8 Frank Thomas

9 Juan Gonzalez

10 Ivan Rodriguez

11 Hideo Nomo

12 Rafael Palmeiro

13 Dave Nilsson

14 Nomar Garciaparra

15 Wilton Guerrero

16 Sammy Sosa

17 Edgar Renteria

18 Cal Ripken, Jr.

19 Derek Jeter

20 Rey Ordonez

Metal Works

This 20-"card" set of solid metal ingots were available two ways. 1) Each Home Plate box contained one solid bronze ingot. 2) Redemption cards for silver-plated and gold-plated ingots were randomly inserted into packs and Master Decks. Only 400 Silver and 200 Gold Metal Works ingots were produced and each is serial-numbered.

Although the exchange cards indicate the color of the ingot, there is no mention of which player the bearer would receive. (You basically got whomever Pinnacle Brands sent you.)

1 Jose Guillen

2 Vladimir Guerrero

3 Andruw Jones

4 Larry Walker

5 Manny Ramirez

6 Ken Griffey, Jr.

7 Alex Rodriguez

8 Frank Thomas

9 Juan Gonzalez

10 Ivan Rodriguez

11 Hideo Nomo

12 Rafael Palmeiro

13 Dave Nilsson

14 Nomar Garciaparra

15 Wilton Guerrero

16 Sammy Sosa

17 Edgar Renteria

18 Cal Ripken, Jr.

19 Derek Jeter

20 Rey Ordonez

Swing for the Fences

Swing for the Fences is a game featuring 60 of baseball's top long-distance hitters. The object was to find the 1997 Home Run Champion from either the National or American League and match it with the exact number of home runs hit during the 1997 season by using a combination of Booster Number Point cards and one Base Number Home Run card.

Each eight-card wax pack contained either a Swing for the Fences Player card or a Booster Point card that carried a plus or minus point total that allowed collectors to add or subtract points to get the winning homer total.

The Base Number Home Run Cards were exclusive to Master Deck packs and carried a predetermined number of Home Runs -- anywhere between 20 and 42.

Collectors who turned in the card of either the AL or NL the Home Run King, along with a Base Number Home Run card and enough Booster Points to match the exact number of HRs that player hit in the 1997 season would win a number of prizes.

The first 1000 winners received a special autographed card of Andruw Jones. The next 3000 winners received random 10-card packs of Upgraded Swing For the Fences cards produced on thicker card stock and printed with a special foil prize-winner stamp. Strangely enough, the backs of the Upgraded cards contain the same information (i.e. the guidelines explaining the contest and how to mail in winning cards) as the cards inserted into packs.

All valid entries would then be entered in a drawing for the grand prize: A trip for two to the 1998 All-Star Game in Denver. Five runner-up winners would receive one waxbox of all Pinnacle Trading Cards baseball products released in 1998.

Ken Griffey, Jr. and Larry Walker wound up as the AL and NL Home Run Kings. However, since Mark McGwire (who was traded in mid-season from Oakland to St. Louis) led the Majors in homers, his card was also deemed to be a winner as well.